Session 1-04 (A): As it Snow Happened

General Summary

Year 116 on Mittag the 12th day of Kalt, late Asca...

After meeting with Stadard, Carillius says he's going to go follow a lead and excuses himself from the group. The rest head back to the Tavern. Flashing back to Yesterday Night... As the rest of the group heads out to go to bead, Hellah grabs another drink and finds a place near to the angry noble. There she tries to feign no interest in the noble but is indeed actively listening and observing her. As the night wears on, the angry noble gets up to leave with her driver in tow. Hellah counts to 10 and follows the noble out in the cold, crisp night air. As the noble walks through the village, she and the driver split up. Hellah stays on the noble. As Hellah comes around the corner of the road, near Lord Staddards estate, she sees the angry noble leap into the air from a standing position, onto and over the wall separating the noble from the town. Before she is able to grasp fully what she saw, a think unnatural fog rolls in and limits her view. Then a sharp pain to the back of her head and darkness fills her vision as she collapses to the ground. Returning to Present Day... The Tycone, noting the lack of Hellah, starts to inquire with the bartender about Hellah. The bartender has not seen her for a few days. While this is going on, a small child, maybe eight, blonde hair with a bowl cut meekly enters the inn. Seeing the female, Sodyrin, the lad walks over and hands her the note; he was tasked to give. He then leaves quickly from the building. The note folded in half with nondescript handwriting simply reads ‘We have left you a present, in your room.’ the Sodyrin heads upstairs to inspect her room, but alas is not able to see anything out of place, nor newly changed to her best memory of the room when last she saw it. Failing to find anything the Sodyrin asks Tyrone to take a look, who also is unable to find anything amiss. So then the Malor and Sypha also fail any investigative epiphanies, finding an empty normal room. Giving up the four turn to leave back down the hall, when the Malor believes he hears a noise in a different room in the Inn, this room belonged to Sypha and Hellah. Entering the second room, they discover a locked footlocker, whose contents are piled on top of the trunk. Tycone removes the lock with his warhammer to reveal Hellah, hogtied, gagged and stuffed into the trunk. Freeing Hellah from the trunk, ropes, and gags, she tells them of the noble. Her attempt to follow, the unnatural jumping, fog, and being taken from behind. That she woke up as she was found tied in a trunk. Hellah heads down to the bar for an early morning drink. While Hellah drinks the group asks the Bartender about the other residents of the inn. He tells them that Dame Tisar’s business is her own, as theirs is theirs. Having found Hellah, Sodyrin makes her rounds to the Temple, in order to she if she can help out with anything. Sodyrin finds out that Martha was sent to Deep Bank, and is overdue for her return. The weather is starting to get rough so Baxtor is hoping it's just a slight delay. Sodyrin helps out in Martha’s absence around the temple. The rest of the group, has the angry noble Dame Tisar on the brain and they keep an eye out for her, or her driver Bassu. However, as the day wears into the Night their watch does not net them any success. There is however much debate from the group as to if the path ahead should take them to Deep Bank or Pearford. When Sodyrin does return after finishing the day working at the temple, she lets them know that there is still no Martha; but the Prest, Baxtor did promise to give her word at the Inn if she came in before he shut down for the night. Sodyrin heads up to bed after dinner, missing by a few minutes Baxtor coming in. Tycone has him wait and grabs the Noble. Matha has still not returned.

Year 116 on Shturtag the 13th day of Kalt, mid Taga

Next Morning Sodyrin heads over to the temple and finds that Martha is still missing, so on the debate of Pearford over Deep Bank, Deep Bank wins. The group sets out without Carillius. It's snowing very heavily this morning as the make there way out of Town. This stays constant most of the day, even picking up a bit near midday. The blizzard slows them down, and they reach Deep Bank after dusk. The snow has blanketed the hamlet, making the signs on building unreadable, however, one building is lit up with a crowd on this dark and stormy night. The group enters the building, a tavern named the ‘Broken Plough’ shaking off the snow and relieved by the warmth of the building after 10 hours of stepping through the snow. While everyone is tired and sore, Hellah is outright exhausted, having not slept well last night locked in a box. Sodyrin, however, beelines to the innkeeper to inquire if anyone has seen Martha the acolyte around town. The bartender indeed knows her whereabouts, she is helping down at the Smits farm about 30 minutes outside of the hamlet, and farmer Smits wife is expecting a new baby. Sodyrin inquiries on how to get there, seeing as it's late and Sodyrin has never been here the Innkeeper calls his servant boy over, to escort Sodyrin to the Smits farm. While Martin the servant boy is not thrilled about going out into the storm, he takes it in stride and puts on his winter clothing. Scarf around his head, and bundled up to the point his thin frame doubles inside, Martian points to the door. Sodyrin and Tycone for backup follow the young man for the next three-quarters of an hour to the Smits farm. The farm is a small building that is serving as barm, house and birth room. Crowded it is, but Martha is very happy to see Sodyrin who rolls up her sleeves to help. Sodyrin tells Tycone to go back with the Martin back to the Tavern, knowing this will last a while, and there is no room for either of them in this small farm building. Tycone objects to leaving Sodyrin without a guard, but a promise, maybe, that she would be fine Sodyrin sends him back to the bar. At the Broken Plough The three half-elves make their way to the bar after Sodyrin and Tycone left. Hellah starts talking to the bartender in Sylvan, to which he holds up his hand to pause her mid-sentence. "Tristan" yells the innkeeper over the din of the bar in argosian. Another Half-Elf over by the fire, looks up from what appears to be a bit of a slumber, as William the Innkeeper waves him over. Tristan finishes his drink and makes his way over. While he is wearing older garb, that is the quality of lower noble style clothing, it is well used. It seems clear his clothing has seen a few hard miles of travel. Despite this, there is a flair to his outfit including a frilly white neck scarf, and green half cape designed to catch the attention of people and less about the warmth of winter. All smiles as Tristan sees the two female half-elves up by the bar, he brushes some of his long blonde hair from his face. Tristan offers his services as a translator, and as a connoisseur of fine wine, he has William bring drinks to the ladies and himself. Drinks from his private stock of Elven Wine. While he did ask Malor with indications he may play for all the teams, Malor refused the offer. The ladies attempt to pump Tristan for information on the local scene, and if anything seemed out of the ordinary. Hellah sipping the drink and holding back, while Sypha did not have that same problem, finished two glasses of the elven wines. Not much seemed out of the ordinary for the half-elven fop, who occupies his idle boredom helping out in the fields of some of the local farmers. During the discussions with Tristan Malor works on William the Innkeeper with a similar line of questions. This turns out to be more meaningful and equally confusing when William is confronted about Goblins he tells Malor that:

“We saw some goblins just the other day, sneaking around the barn, we made some noise and scared them off. Stuffs been missing of late it must be them.”

This phrase and this exact phrase seems to be repeated whenever the word goblin or missing is used. Further nothing in the phrase if asked about without the word Goblin or Missing resulted in a disconnected answer like William had no idea he was quoting the phrase. As Malor tries to experiment at how far this phrase goes, he points it out to Hellah, Sypha, and Tristan. Tristan turns and asks another patron of the Bar about goblins and a man named Devon also quoted it back verbatim. Every other patron asked also said the phrase including the servant boy Martin. Retiring for the night Tristan true to his playboy charms convinces Sypha to head back to his place, a vardo wagon parked at the edge of the hamlet. Hellah followed to make sure she at least knew where Sypha was planning to bed down. Hellah went back to the inn after they were securely inside.

Year 116 on Entag the 14th day of Kalt

Another crisp and cold morning, as darkness starts its retreat The night was long as was the labor of Karon Smit. However, in the middle of Nocturn, a new life was added to the world. Martha and Sodyrin’s efforts were well received. Before the sun rose up she was able to talk to the women there about local events. Sodyrin finds that they have had nothing stolen, nor seem anything out of the ordinary. Rewarded for a good nights work, the snow let up, that had been falling most of yesterday and last night. With this and first light, an exhausted Martha and Sodyrin make their way back to the tavern to collapse into beds of their own. Meanwhile Malor and Hellah leave the Inn as the sun was coming up and start spiraling out systematically searching for any signs of foul play or goblin tracks. They spend all morning looking for signs, anything to collaborate what they were told, or might have created the phrase everyone is speaking. Nothing, no tracks in the fresh snow no signs of goblin warrens, nothing. Flustered they start looking at barns on some of the local farms, eventually finding some farmers out taking care of animals they inquire about anything out of the ordinary. Nothing of note is found out until Goblin or Missing keywords reveal they two are using the same Phrase.

“We saw some goblins just the other day, sneaking around the barn, we made some noise and scared them off. Stuffs been missing of late it must be them.”

Hellah and Sypha return to talk with the rest of the group. Knowing the path ahead will require the better part of the day to return to Pine Grove; the group plans to leave in the morning.

Year 116 on Geltag the 15th day of Kalt

A colder morning yet. Hellah and Malor go out at first light and again look for tracks or signs of goblins. Still nothing, so they make there way back to the Inn to gather the group. Martha, Sodyrin, and Tycone are at the Inn, They track down Sypha at a vardo near the edge of town with Tristan. When Tristan finds out she is leaving, he offers to drive Hellah back to Pine Grove and hooks up his draft horse to the vardo. Overall they make good time heading back to Pine Grove and arrive in town a little ahead of schedule. Reece eyeballs Tristain, telling to stay out of trouble. Sodyrin and Martha go back to the temple to talk with Baxtor. Bator reveals he was only repeating what he heard from two weeks ago and did not really know much more about the goblins. Malor and Tycone also press Baxtor for more data including deeper questioning on whom he heard it from. Baxtor admits it was a superficial investigation as he heard it from a few members of the town including the Bartender and Devon. He then came back to alert Stadard about the threat. On the backside of the Dead Raven Hellah and Sypha are talking as Tristan parks the vardo unhooks his horse, and walks into the stable. A few minutes after Tristan disappeared from view, the girls hear the thump of someone hitting the floor. Then see the draft horse spooked by something come running out. Hellah looks into the barn and sees Tristan unconscious on the floor. A Shadowy figure looming over him. The figure pulls back it’s cowl to reveal a skaven, who beckons Hellah forward into the barn. Session Ends